A few days ago, I expressed doubt as to the veracity of the President’s comments that “Guantanamo is probably the number one recruitment tool that is used by these jihadist organizations.” I did so tentatively because I am no expert in Al Qaeda recruiting, but given the prevalence of this point in the administration’s Guantanamo talk, I thought I would bounce it off of a friend who is a true expert on Al Qaeda, its grievances, and its propaganda themes.
Dan Byman is a colleague at Brookings, a professor at Georgetown, and the author of any number of important books and articles on America’s confrontation with violent extremists.
